St Chad’s Centre News… The St Chad’s Centre Trustees

The construction of the Centre commenced on 3rd August 2015 and it is anticipated that completion should be by June 2016. When the Centre is up and running the grand opening will hopefully coincide with next year’s church fete.

Neighbours were notified via hand delivered notes posted through letterboxes. A licence to access the site across the village green and to construct a compound has been granted to The Trustees of the St Chad’s Centre Trust Company Ltd by Bishop’s Tachbrook Parish Council. All necessary permissions have been granted.

The Trustees are pleased to say that, based on current plans it is envisaged that a compound on the green should not be necessary.

The construction company who will be building the Centre have been selected in part for the project as they have much experience in building in similar areas and are sensitive to the requirements necessary.

Family members of those who are buried within the churchyard whose graves are nearest to the building site have been contacted by the PCC and the construction team will be respectful of the close proximity of the graveyard to the site of the Centre.

Additionally, any services taking place at the church will be afforded every courtesy by the construction company to ensure there is minimal impact while the construction takes place.

So how did we finally get here? After crystallising permissions through building the foundations it has been a mammoth behind the scenes mission to pull together all the necessary funding to enable the Trustees to commence building. The recent national, local and parish elections delayed progress somewhat but finally signed copies of the £450,000 grant agreement have been returned to Warwick District Council (WDC).

WDC has made £300,000 available for the Centre as a grant and have underwritten £150,000 in lieu of impending grant applications which allowed construction to begin in August 2015. The funding has been made available from the New Homes Bonus Scheme award received in 2015/16.

As you may be aware, Bishop’s Tachbrook parish is in line for a large number of new homes over the next 15 years. New homes means an increased population, which will require greater facilities including somewhere at the centre of the community for people to meet.

WDC has signalled its support for the Centre and a condition of the grant is that public acknowledgement of the Council’s support for the scheme is given in publicity about the scheme at all stages. So right here at the start of the build Trustees would like to record our grateful thanks to them for their financial backing for this much needed community facility.

Another condition of the grant is that, following the completion of the Centre, the St Chad’s Centre Trust will submit an annual report on financial and community usage performance to WDC for three years.

There is even more good news with Trustees securing a £50,000 grant from WREN, which meets a third of the WDC underwriting. This money is distributed from the Landfill Communities Fund and will go towards certain project costs such kitchen fitting and furniture, sanitary ware, ceiling, wall and floor finishes and decoration. Trustees would also like to record our appreciation for their substantial contribution to the Centre.

These funding sources are a great endorsement for the Centre and are in addition to Bishop’s Tachbrook Parish Council’s generous grant of £50,000. This is money which has been set aside for a number of years and the Parish Council’s support for the project has been invaluable. Trustees would like to record our appreciation for this financial support, as well as the time and effort many councillors have given over the years to get this project off the ground.

Now the building has finally started the Trustees are looking ahead to fundraising for the finishing touches. Look out in the next edition of the magazine for ways you can get involved. We also welcome kind donations at any time and are lucky to have a number of generous monthly direct debit donors. If you would like to set up a regular donation please contact stchadscentrebt@gmail.com

Trustees will be providing monthly updates via the magazine and website to keep the village informed of how the work is progressing. If you would like to register your interest in booking the Centre or to discuss how its facilities could meet your needs please contact stchadscentrebt@gmail.com

The Trust and the construction company do not foresee any unnecessary problems during the building of the Centre and will make every endeavour to keep annoyance to a minimum; however, if there are any problems please contact the site manager: Paul Seymour (07832 928270) – who will do his best to solve any problems.